Almost Good
by Naureen97
Summary: "He cursed her in his mind for being so bloody stupid. He felt like going up to her and shaking her himself. He almost did. Almost. Why didn't she cry already! Why didn't she relieve him of doing this so he could go back to his dorm and pretend for a few bloody hours that this wasn't happening. That his world did not become even more demented than it already was." Set during DH.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story takes place during Deathly Hallows and starts with how Luna ended up in the Malfoy Manor. I will try to keep it as close to canon as possible. **

**Disclaimer- I don't own the characters, I'm borrowing**

* * *

Draco stood in the middle of the Great Hall a few feet besides Amycus Carrow. He knew what was coming though he tried not to think about it; his wand arm was shaking slightly, not enough for others to notice, but enough for him to get agitated.

He saw Filch before he saw the girl. He was dragging her by the hair, pulling her like she was a piece of luggage and nothing more. Carrow had his wand pointed towards him, using the _Imperius Curse _no doubt. "Leave now," Carrow commanded. Filch obliged, not that he had much of a choice. Draco almost pitied him. _Almost. _

He glanced back at the girl to get a better glimpse and he almost froze. Again _almost_. He knew her, or at-least he knew _of _her. She was always hanging out with that git Potter and his cronies. It was Loony freakin' Lovegood. The girl was infamous for making up imaginary creatures and wearing odd jewelry. She was the laughingstock for many of the Slytherin girls Draco often overheard. Her hair was a mess from being dragged around the castle by a deranged squib. Her cloak was ripped showing her bare arms that were bruised purple. What did she do anyway? Tell Carrow his head was infested with nargles?

"Draco," Carrow acknowledged him, "Are you ready?" he asked.

Draco took a breath. And then another one. She looked up at him, daring, even in that defeated position. Just his luck getting stuck with one of Potter's holier-than-thou sidekicks. He gave a slight askance to Carrow on his left and slowly lifted his wand. She didn't flinch. She was on her knees, her hand rested on the cold floor. He knew Carrow was staring at him, to look for a moment of weakness. Draco was being tested. They wanted to make sure he was still loyal to them, especially after the incident with Dumbldore. He pointed his wand at her; his hand was steady unlike his mind. Why was he even here? Why did it have to be him?

Carrow cleared his throat, seemingly irritated. Draco took another deep breath before muttering, _Crucio. _Red light bounced from his wand to her. She fell back, her eyes closed and her head lolled forward as she clutched her stomach with one arm. But she didn't scream.

"You have to mean it," Carrow said from beside him, "It's a curse meant to _torture _not maim." It seemed like he had walked closer to Draco while talking, which unnerved him more than he cared to admit. Lovegood's eyes opened slowly and she turned her head a little to glance at them both. Her eyes were more bold than fearful, it irritated him. Didn't she know it wouldn't stop until Carrow saw her sob and whimper? He cast the spell again, she didn't move.

"Again!" Carrow said in that low voice of his. Draco might as well be under the _Imperius _because he complied yet again.

"_Crucio,"_ he said for the third time. She fell back, this time she let out a soft moan. Nothing else. The same reaction as before. He cursed her in his mind for being so bloody stupid. He felt like going up to her and shaking her himself. He almost did. Almost. Why didn't she cry already?! Why didn't she relieve him of doing this so he could go back to his dorm and pretend for a few bloody hours that this wasn't happening. That his world did not become even more demented than it already was.

"You've still got a lot to learn," Carrow said. Draco hated him. He hated them all. Another red light fell towards the girl, but not from him. Carrow cast a silent _Cruciatus _curse. He watched as her body flew up and slammed down with a thud. She gave a soft cry; she was shaking now. "You see how it's done?"

Draco felt a deep revulsion towards the man standing beside him. He said nothing. He kept watching as the body of the girl lying in front of him shook violently. Another red light sparked from Carrow's wand and this time she screamed. Her scream was so loud he almost covered his ears, _almost. _She was sobbing now, sobbing and shaking and whimpering. The girl brought her head down to the ground and started muttering something undecipherable under her breath. Draco almost felt relieved, _almost. _It was over, this part at-least.

"I must go now," Carrow told him, "Watch the witch." He started off. He's just going to leave her? What did he mean, watch the witch? He had no intention of staying with her. He had no intention of ever seeing her again.

"What am I supposed to do with her?" he asked.

Carrow looked surprised, "Why, didn't your father tell you? You're taking her home."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: the characters belong to the one and only J.K Rowling, I'm just borrowing.**

* * *

Draco stood there for a few precious seconds, staring blankly at the unconscious girl before him until he processed Carrow's words. He was to take her home. He inwardly sighed. _Adapt_, he told himself, he was good at that, adapting. Draco was supposed to go home in an hour or so; the Headmaster had declared an early Christmas break for those who were allowed to leave school grounds. In other words, only purebloods were to leave unless they chose otherwise. He carried his portkey with him, a small shoe that had belonged to him when he was a child. He took it out now from his robe pocket and clutched it in his left hand; he still held his wand with his right.

He sat down a few feet away from the girl but kept his eyes trained on her. He wondered again why they had chosen _her _out of everyone. Surely if they wanted to get close to Potter they would have hauled in the Weasley girl. He counted off the minutes in his head, wanting to get rid of her as soon as possible. He didn't know what the others had in mind for her but he didn't care to find out. They were in a war. What did another tortured soul matter anyway?

* * *

He was transported to the Malfoy Manor by the portkey. He had had to drag the still unconscious girl with him. He landed inside their drawing room and was greeted by the only other person he hated more than the Dark Lord himself. His aunty Bellatrix. He mentally cursed; he hadn't expected her to be there. And then he cursed himself again, where else would she be? It's not like she's got anywhere else to go. That particular thought daunted him even further.

"Draco, my boy!" she shrieked in her high, raspy voice, like she was delighted he had finally decided to show up. She gave his shoulder a rough squeeze before turning her gaze onto the girl on the floor. "Oh, right, the _Quibbler_ girl," she said. So that's why they wanted her, she was the daughter of the _Quibbler's_ editor. He had heard some people mention back in school that that was the only magazine not corrupted by death eaters. Lovegood was coming back to her senses; she slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit upright only to have Bellatrix kick her down once more. Bellatrix looked disgustedly at the girl, her right heel resting on Lovegood's stomach. Draco almost said something. Almost.

Bellatrix spoke again, this time to one of the empty headed death eaters standing guard by the door. Draco didn't quite remember his name; he didn't care anyway. "Take her to the cellar," she commanded. She didn't look to see if he complied or not, she turned back to Draco. "Come now, Draco. Your mother's waiting." He almost glanced back while he walked away. Almost.

* * *

Luna was barely conscious when the man forced her on her feet. She let out a soft moan but said nothing. Her whole body hurt. The man pushed her towards a wooden doorway in the corner, she was dizzy but she didn't fall. The doorway opened to a flight of steep stone stairs. It was freezing cold; she shivered and crumbled her feet. The man nudged her again and she slowly started descending, her feet had already gone numb.

Down the stairs were steel bars that led to what looked like a jail cell. The man opened the locked door and shoved her inside; she landed on her back. The floor was made of stone as well and she was shivering more violently. She glanced at the man who was locking the door again. He didn't seem older than twenty and already he looked like a monster from a horror book. He was big, he had huge eyes and when he found her staring, he grinned. His front teeth were all missing. Luna looked away.

Ever since she was a little girl, Luna had never been scared for herself. When she saw her mother die, she feared not for herself but for her father who had just lost the person he had promised to spend his entire life with. When the girls at Hogwarts were being mean, she wasn't scared of what they'd do to her because she knew they only did so to try and please themselves. When she was fighting alongside the DA members at the Ministry of Magic, she wasn't frightened for herself; she was scared of what might have happened to the others, her friends. Now, looking around herself she felt an unfamiliar jolt of fear. She wasn't going to die here; she could hear her mother in her mind telling her to always keep going. _You can't go back _she was telling her _so you have to go on. _

_I'm not scared _she repeated to herself. _I'm not scared. I'm not scared._

* * *

The Malfoy Manor, his house, now seemed as though it was a lounge for death eaters. He was just in his mother's room. She was scared, he knew. She didn't have to tell him. She never wanted to be a part of this; it was a miracle she even stuck with his father through the last few months. That was an act too, he knew. She didn't stick around because of Lucius but because of Draco. He almost told her not to, he almost told her to go somewhere else. Almost. But he couldn't. He was selfish and he couldn't let go of the only other person he cared about.

Draco cursed his life once again as he paced in his bedroom. Soon enough, his father will call him down to have dinner with all the others. He hated pretending he was one of _them. _He wasn't. They were lunatics, all of them. His aunt, his father, they were all mad. He was no better either but at-least he knew that. He knew he was deranged; _they _had no idea. He thought of leaving sometimes, of running away from these nightmares. He almost did. Almost. But he caught himself, started making excuses. Telling himself he couldn't leave his mother behind. Telling himself he didn't have anywhere else to go or anyone else to go to. That's all they were though, excuses, because he didn't want to face the truth. He was scared; terrified of what would happen if he ever got caught. So he went along with everything. It was safer that way; better even. He almost convinced himself. Almost.

During dinner, his aunt called him over. He had an unsettling feeling even before she started to speak, "I'm putting you on prisoners' duty," she said.

Prisoners' duty? Draco had a vague idea on what that meant; he had to keep the prisoners in check. Which would also mean Lovegood wasn't the only one caged in their cellar. A lounge for death eaters wasn't enough? They also had to turn his house into a prison? "Why me?" he spoke at last, "Why can't the rat do it?" He asked, meaning Wormtail.

Bellatrix threw him her glare for the rare times someone decided to argue with her. "Pettigrew is running errands for the Dark Lord," she hissed in her shrill voice. Draco sucked in a breath as she came closer; she was intimidating, but Draco made sure to hold a blank expression. He clenched his fists to keep himself from doing something rash. She pointed to a steel tray filled with spoiled food and told him to take it down to the cellar. "Make sure to bring the tray back," she flashed him a smile showing all her yellowed teeth. He let out a small breath as she walked away.

Draco grabbed the tray and made his way down to the wooden door that led downstairs. The tray only contained two rotten apples and two pieces of stale bread and a small jug of water. He wondered who else was down there; he doubted the food would be enough to sustain even one person. He held his wand tightly as he stepped through the last set of stairs. It was cold down here; he shuddered slightly even though he was wearing a heavy robe. A steel barricade greeted him taking him by surprise. They must have just added the steel bars fairly recently because they weren't there before.

He muttered _Lumos _and his wand conjured a bright orange light. He saw Lovegood right away. She was sitting crouched down with her head in between her knees. On the corner he saw another figure; looking closely he found it was Ollivander. Why the hell was Ollivander the Wandmaker imprisoned in his home? Lovegood looked up at him; she looked worse than she did a few hours ago when he brought her here. Her new bruises were starting to show. She kept staring; it seemed like she was curious as to why he was here. Draco slid the tray down under the bars towards her and she glanced down towards the sad compilation of food for two people. Draco swallowed his guilt and had every intention of turning around and leaving when he remembered Bellatrix's pitched voice telling him to bring the tray back.

Lovegood now tilted her head a little to the side with a questioning look most likely wondering why he still stood there. Draco inwardly sighed; he has been doing that quite a lot lately. "I need the tray back," he finally said. She nodded like she understood him. Draco watched as she slowly got up, wincing in pain, and picked up the tray. She didn't say a single word to him as she trotted over to Ollivander.

"Mr. Ollivander?" she asked. She handed him a piece of bread and one of the apples. That was the first time Draco had heard her voice during this entire affair. He was surprised by how steady her voice sounded; the girl was strong, he had to admit. Draco noticed she took the smaller piece for herself. Typical, he thought. What? Did she want to starve herself to death?

She now walked back towards him. She put the water jug on the floor and slid the tray back. She crouched down back to where she was sitting when he came in, close to the bars with her back to the wall. Draco picked up the tray. He gave them one last look before turning away. He almost said sorry before leaving. Almost.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm borrowing**

* * *

It's only been three days since Draco came back from Hogwarts and he was already accustomed to the tortured screams that made their way down to his bedroom from the dining room. Bellatrix enjoyed torturing others; she did so at the slightest provocation. The _Cruciatus _cursewas her very favorite. Lucius enjoys it too, having that much power over others. It was getting harder and harder to look them in the eye and pretend he didn't hate them. It came as no surprise to him when a scream rung its way to his room mid-afternoon; he tried to tune it out without success. The same voice screamed again and this time Draco recognized it. Lovegood. What the hell could she have possibly done?

Against his better judgment, he went down to the dining room. The weather was dull and little to no lights came through the various windows in the manor as he made his way down the stairs. Usually, everyone just left the younger Malfoy to do what he pleased; that was the same case this time because no one tried to stop him as he neared them. He immediately saw the pair; his aunt was looming over a nearly unconscious Lovegood. There were two men at the doors; neither of them said anything as he continued nearing his aunt. She had her wand pointed towards her, muttering under her breath. Lovegood lay on the floor like a rag doll with her eyes pinched shut. He felt bad for her, she didn't deserve this. It was bad enough being locked up in that icy prison cell without being Bellatrix's victim. Why was she even being tortured? It wasn't like her father would be printing any more news now that his daughter was abducted.

Bellatrix noticed her nephew within a few seconds of him lingering around, "Draco, my dear boy, here to watch the show?"

Draco had had a lot of practice keeping a blank face; it was useful for times like this. "Why is she here?" he asked, keeping his voice calm.

"She's one of Potter's little friends, isn't she Draco?" She asked with a crazed look. Draco slightly nodded his head and Bellatrix smiled, her eyes gleaming. "She might have a clue to where he's hiding then," she said. She now crouched down to where Lovegood was, trailing her wand over her face. Lovegood was breathing heavily, her eyes still closed. "Tell me, you filthy blood traitor," she hissed, "Where's your friend?" When she didn't reply, another red light shot out of her wand towards the girl. Her body shook and she let out a small whimper; it seemed like she didn't have enough energy left to shout.

Draco almost turned around and left. Almost. After all, he didn't care what happened to her. He had seen his aunt kill before, granted none of them were people he knew much less went to school with. But he didn't leave; instead he decided to do the girl a small favor. "I don't think she knows anything about Potter's plans," he said.

Bellatrix looked over to him, both her eyebrows raised, "And why do you say that?"

"She's not all that important to Potter," he replied, "just a pet he likes keeping around. Either way, he always has Weasley and the Mudblood to keep him company. You should bring them in," he suggested. He knew it was a weak suggestion; he knew those fools enough to assume they were with Potter on his little _quest_ to defeat the Dark Lord.

"That's not possible, is it? They're off with Potter." Bellatrix shrieked, confirming his thoughts, "Don't worry though, we'll find them. We'll find them all." She stood up from where she was crouched over Lovegood, "What do we do with you, now? What indeed," she kicked her Lovegood's leg a little to the left. They both stood there for a few seconds, towering over the girl when one of her death eater guard dogs came in.

"Ma'am, Greyback is here," he said. It was the same man Draco had seen that first day he had returned from Hogwarts.

"Oh, yes, tell him to wait," she said, dismissing him. She looked towards Draco now, a smile playing on her lips, "Take her back now, will you Draco? Play with her if you like, just make sure she is put back in the cellar," she gave him a knowing look and Draco bit back his disgust while she handed the keys over.

Draco took his wand out, deciding on his next move. No one else was in the room; Bellatrix took the two guards with her. Draco cursed himself for what he was about to do, and he almost started talking himself out of it. Almost.

He now crouched down to the same place Bellatrix was, trying to see all the damage she had caused. Lovegood's eyes were shut tight but he could feel her tense as he came closer. Her arms and legs were bruised purple, some of it was from before she was brought here, but he could locate some of the newer injuries as well. He took a small breath before muttering a healing spell over her body. He didn't know whether it had worked until she sighed and opened her eyes. She had the same questioning look in her eyes as she had the first day he brought down the food downstairs. She looked at him curiously like he was a piece in a jigsaw puzzle.

"Can you get up?" he asked; his voice came out as a bit harsh though he hadn't meant for it too. She gave a small nod and slowly came to a sitting position. Draco stood up himself, watching her slowly pull one leg up and then the other. He almost went to help. Almost.

She stared at him after she was in the standing position, waiting for him to say something. He gestured towards the door that led to her prison; he felt her slightly stiffen but she complied and started walking. He followed her; he let her take her time as she slowly approached the door in an uneven gait. She stopped in front of it, Draco wondered why; did she not want to go back? Of course she didn't want to go back! It's freezing cold and the only light she sees is when he brings the food tray down twice a day. "It's locked," she said softly.

Draco was taken aback for a few seconds after hearing her voice; he hadn't heard her speak since that first day in the cellar when calling Ollivander's name. "Oh, right," he said. He put the key Bellatrix left him in a pocket in his robe. He took it out and squirmed around Lovegood to unlock the door. He was now standing in-front of her but he kept his side eye trained on the girl in case she decided to be stupid and run. She wouldn't be able to go far, especially not wandless and in that condition in a house full of dark wizards. Fortunately, she didn't; she stood there waiting for him to open the door. She looked surprisingly calm; he wondered if she had some kind of plan. She wasn't supposed to look so calm; she had just been tortured endlessly by a lunatic. Even the best of wizards were driven to insanity under his aunt, the Longbottoms were proof enough. Lovegood was surprisingly resilient.

The door propped open and he gestured for her to go first. She took small steps and cringed every once in a while. Draco remembered she wasn't wearing any shoes; it was cold enough as it was. Draco looked down at his own comfortable skin shoes and felt another surge of sympathy. Once they reached the bottom, they were greeted by the now familiar barricade of steel bars. He went forward to where the iron lock was when he realized Bellatrix had only given him one key. "It works for both locks," Luna said. She was right, the door unlocked with the same key. Draco gave her a quick glance but decided not to ask her how she knew.

She went inside without him telling her to. She sat down in the same spot he saw her that first day, leaning against the wall. She was taking deep breaths; Draco stood there for a few moments with the door open. Maybe he expected her to try to attack him and exit through the door; maybe he expected the other prisoner to. They didn't. He could vaguely make out the silhouette of Ollivander sitting in the very back. He looked back at Luna, she was watching him now. He turned away, closing the door behind him. He almost spoke to her. Almost.

He was about to ascend the stairs when her voice stopped him. "Draco?" she said. He snapped his head back; her saying his name shocked him. Especially her using his given name instead of his surname; not Malfoy but Draco. He stared at her now, waiting. She stared back levelly. The girl took another deep breath before saying, "Thank you."

Draco felt like a giant weight dropped on his chest. He was dumbfounded. She was thanking him? Why the hell was this world so twisted? She was thanking him! He brought her here! The girl was locked in his stone cold basement with barely anything to wear, his aunt tortured her enough to drive her to insanity, their world was crumbling and she was thanking him?

He didn't reply. He turned back around and raced up the stairs. He almost went back. Almost.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing**

* * *

The next day he wasn't planning to go down there. He was planning to never go down there again. It wasn't worth it, he decided, it just wasn't. When the time came for him to deliver the food to the cellar, he went into the kitchens and asked one of the house-elves, Jiggy, to do it instead. The reply he got was very unsatisfying, "Sorry, master Draco, Bellatrix ma'am told Jiggy and the others not to ever go down there." Draco tried telling him to go anyway, but as always, his aunt's words held more power. He cursed under his breath. Then he cursed aloud scaring the kitchen elves. Jiggy slowly handed him the tray and walked away, frightened.

Draco glanced down at the tray; this time it was two small pears and smaller buns to go with them. He looked over at the kitchen counter to where the elves were preparing for a feast for the death eaters. If he was going to bother going down there anyways, he might as well take some decent food. He almost changed his mind. Almost.

"Jiggy," he called the elf back who began towards him reluctantly. He told him to bring in plenty of whatever they were making. The elf nodded and scurried away in a hurry. Five minutes later, Draco was in the possession of a bigger tray with roast chicken, boiled potatoes, pudding and pumpkin juice. The tray had gotten so heavy, he had to levitate it towards the cellar. As he descended the stairs, he wondered why he was trying to help them. He was well aware of the consequences if Bellatrix found him out. Why did he care what happened to them? He didn't care, he told himself, this was just his way of rebelling against his aunt. He wasn't assured.

When he got to the bottom, he carefully slid the tray down into the prison cell and lighted his wand with a silent _Lumos. _Lovegood looked up immediately from where she sat. "Good afternoon," she greeted. She looked down at the tray of food in amazement, like she'd never seen anything like it before. Then she looked back at him, smiling. She opened her mouth to say something and Draco stiffened. He didn't want her thanks. Maybe she understood because she closed her mouth.

"Eat," was all Draco said. He sat down opposite the prisoners as he always did and watched as she handed out Ollivander's portions. There was something off about the way she was walking, she was limping more than she was yesterday but she was trying to cover it up. Draco wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been watching her. She came upon her usual spot again and crouched down to sit when her legs gave away and she toppled over sending the food from the tray flying.

Draco stood up and went closer to the bars. He stared as she struggled to sit upright and then scrambled for the food that fell. Something about that sight made his stomach drop. "Stop," he said. She stopped at once but kept her gaze low. Draco used the summoning charm to gather the food back into the tray and then casted a cleansing charm on them so they wouldn't be dirt ridden. Lovegood sat there, silent tears falling from her eyes. She wiped them away with her hand and then stared at her hand in wonderment as if it was the first time she witnessed herself crying. His stomach dropped again. He never did feel comfortable seeing others cry; crying was something one did in private.

"What's wrong with your leg?" he asked her. He didn't know what had gotten over him. What did he care what happened? But he _had _put a healing spell on the girl the day before; she was supposed to get better not worse. She didn't answer; instead she slowly started picking up the food and eating. Draco fought the urge to leave. He had to take the tray back anyway, he thought.

It took a few minutes before she answered, "It's nothing," she said softly, still with her eyes trained on the ground in front of her.

Draco merely nodded. If she didn't want to tell who was he to inquire further? A few more moments later, one realization struck him. "Was it because of the healing spell? It went wrong?" he asked. He had only ever done that spell on himself before, never on another person. It's possible he might've done something wrong.

She looked at him now, strangely. "No," she shook her head slightly, "no, the spell was fine. It's just," she took a deep breath, "they are a bit brutal…" she looked back down. _They? _Draco had thought he was the only one who came down here. Apparently not. He didn't question her any further, he understood. He lived with monsters, he hadn't forgotten, but looking down at her now, he was enraged. She didn't deserve to be a prisoner here and he didn't deserve to be a pawn.

She pushed the tray back after she was done eating, her hand was mildly shaking. He reached down and picked it up. He almost changed his mind before casting another healing spell upon her. Almost.

She looked thankful but she didn't say so for which he was grateful. He didn't deserve it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Jo Rowling; I'm borrowing.**

* * *

The day after that, he once again took extra food for the two prisoners. Lovegood seemed more at ease, cheerful even. "Hullo, Draco. How are you today?" she asked. Her easy tone confused him. She probably understood because she continued, "I don't like being sad. It's not a nice feeling, so I wanted to stop." She spoke earnestly in a chiming voice. If Draco hadn't been so baffled he might have laughed. As usual, he slid the tray in and she picked it up and started giving it out to the other prisoner who never seemed to talk. Draco now wondered if Olivander was always silent or just when he arrived. He was always sitting in the very back where he could only make out his shape but couldn't see him clearly.

"Did you steal all this food?" she asked looking down at the compilation. Draco didn't know how to reply; he hadn't exactly stolen it, he had just asked the house-elves to give him the food. But he had also told them to tell neither his aunt nor his father about it.

He went with the laconic reply, "No."

She nodded. She sat down before speaking again. "Is there any news?" she asked, in a more hushed tone. Draco presumed she was speaking of the coming war. He wondered if he should be telling her anything. They _are _supposedly on different sides. She sat there, with an eager look in her face, no doubt hoping to hear something about Potter.

"No," he said again. Her eagerness died down and she didn't question him further about it.

"Okay," she said. About a minute later, she spoke again. "Draco?" she said his name. Why did she keep saying his name? Did she think they were friends? Draco gave her a half-hearted look of annoyance; he didn't really mind as much as he wanted to something he didn't quite understand himself.

"What?" he asked.

"I hate your aunt," she said evenly. The words took him aback; so much that he let out a small chuckle. She smiled widely at his reaction.

"Me too." He said.

As he walked away, he almost restrained his smile. Almost.

* * *

The days after that, it was routine for Draco to ask the house-elves for whatever they were cooking to take down to the prisoners. He sat in front of them patiently until they were done eating and took the tray back. He had to admit that he didn't completely hate going down there. The minutes he spent in the cellar were his few moments of peace in this household.

The death eaters were all agitated. Potter's plan was now well known among them, he meant to destroy the pieces of the Dark Lord' s soul. Bellatrix was acting even nastier than usual, hiring Snatchers to find Potter and the gang. And Lucius was pure desperate with the way he hung on Voldemort's every word. Draco inwardly winced at his own thoughts; did he just mention the Dark Lord by his name? The idea scared him but also satisfied him. His name was jinxed now but only if you said it aloud; Bellatrix cast the jinxing spell for her Snatchers to help find more wizards on the other side.

He glanced at their grand clock by the mantel. Another hour until he had to go deliver food. He propped himself on his bed and absentmindedly started levitating objects in the room. His thoughts kept taking him back to the dungeons. He was starting to enjoy Luna's company. His thoughts astonished him once again. He never called Lovegood by her name before. She was getting to his head.

He found himself opening up to her. She started telling him stories about her childhood, about the different (and nonexistent, Draco thought) creatures she had encountered in her life and stories about her friends in Hogwarts including Potter and the Weasley girl. She even told him of the time her mother died while doing an experiment with a stinging hex. At first, he was confounded by why she was confiding in him. Now he rather looked forward to her stories. Some of them were so bizarre he was sure she was making them up.

He was lost in his thoughts when he heard Bellatrix shout out the _Cruciatus_ curse. A scream echoed through the corridors, her muffled scream was familiar to him now. He jerked up from his bed, his heart started pounding as he clenched his wand in his hand. He almost stopped himself from running to the dining hall. Almost.

He found the two women in the same position he saw them once before. Bellatrix pointing her wand at her throat and Luna lying on their rug with her eyes shut. "WHERE IS POTTER?" Bellatrix yelled. Luna made no sound; she clenched her eyes harder waiting for another curse to hit her. Seeing her lying there again made the pits of his stomach drop. Draco felt a great flood of sympathy towards her and an even greater flow of anger towards his aunt. No, not just anger but pure hatred; he resented her.

"Aunt Bella," Draco said trying sound as level as he could muster. She snapped her neck towards him.

"What, Draco?" Bellatrix spoke with a thrill, her body still turned towards Luna but her head turned to him. Her eyes were daring, expecting a challenge.

Draco took a breath and kept up a blank face, "I doubt she knows anything," he said, gesturing to her. "She has been locked up for a month."

Bellatrix grinned at him then back at the girl, somewhat knowingly. "Let us practice on her then, Draco. Such a small little thing," she started walking towards him. She put a hand on his shoulder, "Try the _Cruciatus _on her," she said, "Let's see how much you've improved."

Draco was careful to keep his stance steady and his voice strong. "I seem to have left my wand upstairs," he lied. He had stuffed his wand in the inside pocket of his robes while dashing downstairs.

Bellatrix only smiled, "Not a problem," she said, "_Accio _Draco's wand," she casted a summoning charm with her wand. Draco had put an anti-summoning charm on his wand and he told her so. He would have to remember to thank his mother later for teaching him that spell and getting him on the habit of always casting it on his things. Bellatrix looked down on her own wand but didn't offer it to him, which he knew she wouldn't. Instead she turned back towards the girl on the floor.

"_Crucio," _she shouted again. Draco's stomach twisted as her body contorted. Luna's screams rung out through the halls while Draco stood there besides his aunt. He almost told her to stop. Almost.

After that little session, his aunt left him to take the girl back down. She looked at him straightly before exiting with a somewhat amused expression. He was disgusted with himself.

He looked down at the blonde girl and made a promise to himself to save her. Then shook his head as if dismissing the idea.

He wasn't a savior. He was a coward.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: the characters belong to J.K Rowling, I'm only borrowing**

* * *

"Are you alright?" he asked as he carried her down the stairs. She didn't answer. She was senseless. How many times had he seen her unconscious in the past month? Twice? Three times? It was appalling.

She was lighter than he expected or maybe he was stronger than he expected. Her body was very stiff and pale, he wondered if her blood was flowing. Downstairs he found the prison door already open; Bellatrix either forgot to close it or didn't bother. Most likely the latter, Draco couldn't remember the last time she forgot something. He also noticed that Olivander didn't even attempt to escape while Luna was kept upstairs. Either that old hag didn't notice or had already given up.

He slowly put her down on the cold floor, crouching beside her as he did. He took his wand out of his robe pocket and did a dim _Lumos _making a small ball of light appear at his wand tip. She had been wearing the same ragged dress for weeks now; it was ripped and soiled. Her hair was a frizzy jumble. There were more bruises on her arms and legs even though he had healed them earlier. She still had her eyes closed but her body started shivering a bit. He touched the floor with his hand then jerked it back. Merlin! It was cold.

For a minute, he thought of just leaving her here. He asked himself again why he cared what happened to her. He didn't have the answer but he did care for some absurd reason.

Draco sighed. There was work to do.

He unattached the ball of light from his wand and made it hover a few feet above them. First, he put a simple heating spell on the girl so she would stop shaking. Then he moved on to healing spells, casting the ones he had mastered; there were quite a few. He was more thorough than the last time when he only cast one spell on her whole body. He started with her arms; some places were bruised purple and there were loads of small cuts wounds. When he was satisfied with the arms, he moved a few inches back to inspect her legs. They looked to be in about the same condition her arms were in. Her dress came up to her knees. He hesitated for a moment before lifting the dress and revealing her thighs. They were swollen and completely red, much worse than her arms. He cursed. He casted the same healing spells and then added a few more for good measures. What in Salazar's name happened to her?!

She gave a small sigh as soon as his spells started working. He slumped down on the floor, relieved and exhausted. Healing spells took the energy of the caster and gave it to the person receiving the spell to quicken the process. His aunt would be furious if she knew what he did; so would his father. For the first time in years, he was almost satisfied with himself. Almost.

He waited until she woke up. He didn't know why but he felt like he needed to. Not having anything else to do at the moment, he stared at her. She was decent looking, he begrudgingly noted, pretty even. She was very pale; normal considering she was stuck underground all day. Her blonde hair was a few shades darker than his; it looked like a tangled mess not that she was in the position to brush her hair under the circumstances.

Soon enough, she opened her eyes slowly, looking disoriented. She noticed the ball of light above her immediately and glanced at her side, finding Draco. She gave him a confused look, presumably wondering why he was sitting beside her. She then seemed to have realized something and stared down at her hands, flexing her muscles. A smile played on her face as she looked at him again. Her eyes were light grey, almost silver and they became slightly smaller when she smiled. "Did you heal me?" she asked.

Unable to speak, he gave her one stiff nod. She smiled even bigger. She tried to sit up, using her hands for support. She didn't get very far; her arms weren't strong enough to hold her up. Not being able to stop himself, he moved forward to help her, holding on to her shoulders. She sat upright but he didn't remove his hand from her shoulder. She didn't seem to mind.

With one of her hands, she touched her legs, professedly awestruck. "Those must've been very powerful spells," she said. Draco didn't comment. Some of the spells _were _powerful. He always had an interest in healing, principally because he himself had been the victim of many harmful spells when he was little. His father believed in cruel punishments.

"Are you alright?" he asked her again since she was unconscious the first time. He started moving back to the spot he was in before and settled in front of her.

"I'm good, Draco," she said. She reached out and took his hand in hers, surprising him. Her hand was soft and cold; she gave it a light squeeze. Draco felt something for her then, unlike anything he had ever felt before, but it was a very difficult feeling to describe. They both stared at their conjoined hands. "Thank you."

This time he wasn't angry because this time he almost deserved her gratitude. Almost.

But almost wasn't enough.

* * *

The next day, he woke up to sounds of chaos coming from the drawing room. There was a knock at his door and he permitted whoever it was to come inside. It was one of their house-elves though he couldn't recall her name. "Mistress Narcissa has summoned Master Draco," she said faintly.

He glanced out his window. The sun hadn't even come up yet. "Why?" he asked, irritated.

"Mistress Narcissa is calling Master Draco to identify Harry Potter," the elf said, squirming and looking down at her feet.

Draco was taken aback. Identify Harry Potter? Was he here? Which meant… "They caught him? They caught Potter?"

"Mistress is calling Master Draco to make sure, sir," the elf replied.

He dismissed the elf, telling her he'll come down right away. They caught Potter. A hopeful feeling aroused inside him.

He put on his robe as swiftly as he could. He wasn't a savior, but he knew who was. If there was anyone who could help Luna escape, it would be the freaking Boy Who Lived.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Some of these lines are taken straight from the book to keep the story as canon as possible but I changed some of the details to better fit Draco. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I'm just borrowing**

* * *

He strolled downstairs, trying to look as casual as he could muster even though his heart was drumming louder than he deemed possible. The manor's corridors were dark and still. He had to do this right. Not almost right but fully right.

As he approached their drawing room, he could hear the pieces of commotion inside. He went through the side door coming across the brightly lit room; someone had lit their large crystal chandelier. His parents were standing in front of the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Beside him stood one of the Snatchers Bellatrix had hired, Scabior was his name.

On the floor were three guys and one girl bound together. A few feet away from them sat a goblin who Draco faintly remembered from Gringotts. The girl sat closest to him and Draco instantly recognized her to be Granger. His mother must have heard him enter for she turned to look to her side, "They say they've got Potter," she said, looking at him. "Draco, come here."

Draco slowly walked closer to the group of bodies huddled together while trying to maintain his distance from the savage werewolf. He had witnessed the man in wolf form once, tearing out the flesh of a young girl. He knew he wouldn't be able to harm him here but the man scared him almost as much as Bellatrix did. Almost. The group was recognizable enough. Potter's face was swollen pink and his hair looked like a horse's mane, reaching his shoulders; but it didn't matter, Draco would recognize that insufferable git anywhere. Weasley was even easier to recognize; the red hair and the clueless expression gave it away. He looked like he had just been punched in the face; his mouth was bloody and agape. The last addition surprised him; it was the Gryffindor Dean Thomas, who was visibly shaking with fear. Draco wondered why he was with them; he never impressed Draco to be anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, boy?" rasped the werewolf. Draco felt his courage falter at the sound of his voice. What if things didn't work as he hoped? He instantly thought of Luna trapped down in that cold basement. He looked to his mother who seemed to know what he was doing; she always did. She gave him an encouraging nod as if saying she was siding with him no matter what. He took a silent breath; he wouldn't wither from his plan. Did he even _have _a plan?

Lucius' voice cut through his thoughts, "Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

Draco looked down at the Chosen One again. Of course it was him, he was sure. Potter glanced at him once then quickly looked away. Draco could sense his fear and savior or not, he couldn't help but take pleasure in watching The Boy Who Lived squirm in front of him. "I can't be sure," he finally said.

Lucius was impatient and urged him to move closer. Draco reluctantly went and stood beside his father. He could sense everyone's attention on him. How in Merlin's name was he going to pull this off?

His father was examining Potter's forehead now. "There's something there," he whispered, "it could be the scar stretched tight… Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?"

He pretended to peer at him again, "I don't know," Draco said. "I don't think it's him."

Draco felt Lucius huff beside him. He looked over to the fireplace to where Narcissa was standing to find her looking at them; he gave her the slightest nod, one he knew only she would catch. She gave him a knowing look before calling over to Lucius, "We better be sure before calling the Dark Lord. We don't want to anger him." Draco saw his father hesitate at her words; if there was one thing Lucius was terrified of, it was angering his precious master.

"What about the Mudblood, then?" growled Greyback. All eyes now fell on Granger; she looked like she wanted to shout on top of her lungs. She flinched when Greyback touched her chin and brought it up, giving the Malfoys a better view. Draco almost smirked at her discomfort. Almost. Now wasn't the time.

"She _does _look awfully familiar to the girl," said Narcissa, "but her face looks different, doesn't it, Draco?"

Draco saw what his mother was doing, trying to plant seeds of doubts into the others. He was grateful. Before he was able to reply to his mother, however, Lucius shouted beside him, "That's the Weasley boy!" He strode around the prisoners until he faced Ron. "It _IS _them! Potter's friends! Draco look!"

Draco exhaled. This wasn't working. "Yeah…it could be," he said trying to sound as vague as possible. Lucius gave him an irritated look. Draco had hoped they wouldn't be recognized so they would be put in the cellar with the other prisoners. He had to make sure Potter saw Luna somehow. Right then, his aunt walked into the drawing room with her air of authority.

"What is this? What's happening, Cissy?" her eyes immediately fell on Granger. "That's the Mudblood girl! That's Granger!"

"Yes, yes, it's Granger!" cried Lucius. "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!"

Bellatrix backed away to get a better look at Potter. "The Dark Lord must be informed at once!" she shrieked. She dragged up her sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark burned into her flesh and Draco looked away. That damned mark. He hated the sight of it.

Lucius and Bellatrix started arguing about who should be the one to summon _him. _Debating about who shall receive the honor; Draco kept his eyes trained on the bounded prisoners. Potter was reaching for something to his side; it took him a few moments to realize it was a sword. A sword? He brought a freaking sword? Draco scoffed in his mind. No one used swords anymore.

"What is that?" Draco heard Bellatrix say, in a quieter voice than she usually spoke.

"A sword; it's mine, I found it," one of the Snatchers squeaked. Bellatrix threw a silent stunning spell towards him knocking him to his feet.

Scabior drew his wand, "What d'you think you're playing at, woman?" His voice was steady but his hand that held the wand was shaking violently.

"Stupefy!" Bellatrix screamed, maniacally. She stunned all the remaining Snatchers and forced Greyback on his knees, paralyzing him. The man looked horrified; Draco felt no pity.

"Where did you get this sword?" Bellatrix whispered to Greyback as she pulled his wand out of his hand. When he didn't answer, she repeated her question, brandishing the sword around his face. "Where did you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault!"

"It was in their tent," Greyback rasped at last. Bellatrix released him from her spell.

Bellatrix turned to her sister, "The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think of what to do!"

Narcissa looked furious, "This is my house, Bella, you don't give orders in my…"

"Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!" For the first time in his life, Draco noticed Bellatrix looking frightened. The sword was obviously very important though Draco had no clue why. It looked like any other sword, his father had a few hung up on the walls of the manor. He examined it a little closer; it was silver with red rubies embedded atop the handle. Draco could see the faint carvings of some letters engraved on the blade but he wasn't near enough to see what the letters were.

After a moment of hesitation, Narcissa ordered Greyback to move the prisoners down to the cellar. Draco was almost relieved. Almost. They were making progress.

Bellatrix commanded Greyback to take all prisoners except Granger. She threw him back his wand and cut Granger free from the others, dragging her by her hair to the very middle of the room. Draco instantly remembered the first time he saw Luna; Filch was dragging her in the same manner. Greyback dragged the three prisoners down towards the cellar while Bellatrix started whispering threats to Granger. It wasn't long afterwards when Bellatrix's spells caught her and her screams started echoing through the halls. Bellatrix was questioning her about the sword. Draco had half a mind to go down to the prisoners himself to check on how things were going.

Draco looked away as did his mother. He walked towards her and they stood in silence besides the fireplace, listening to her screams. Narcissa gave his shoulder a light squeeze of reassurance.

"What else did you take? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!" Bellatrix was casting the _Cruciatus _curse one after another. Granger's screams were deafening. Weasley's voice could be heard from downstairs too, pounding on the door. Draco almost pitied him at the moment. Almost.

Granger informed Bellatrix of the sword being a copy in between her lifeless breaths.

"We can find out easily!" Lucius' voice rung, "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not." Lucius looked at him, as if daring him to object.

Draco merely nodded. This had better work.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Again, many of these lines are taken straight from the book to keep the story close to canon. I'm sorry for the long wait but t****he story is almost done. Hope you like it.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm borrowing**

* * *

Draco was almost frightened at how much he believed Potter would be able to escape. But as he slowly approached the cellar, his heart started thumping, what if they decided attacking him now would be a good idea?

"Stand back!" he shouted before unlocking the door, "Don't try anything or I'll kill you," he added for good measure. Surprisingly they did as they were told; the prisoners were lined up at the back of the wall. Draco sought Luna out right away; she stood in the middle of Thomas and Potter. She gave him an encouraging smile letting him know she knew what he was doing. He didn't speak but his determination rose to a peak; she _will _get out of here. He noticed the three other fuming wizards glaring at him. Draco told the goblin Griphook to come towards him and the goblin complied looking overly irritated.

Draco slammed the door closed but not before he heard a loud _crack _coming from inside. Draco had heard house-elves apparating enough times to recognize the sound. He was not one to hold out hope but if there was ever a time for things to go right, this better be it. This was happening. _Really _happening.

He went back upstairs to Granger's whimpers and his aunt's menacing voice as the older witch engraved something with her wand on Granger's arm. Draco recognized the spell immediately; it was the same one _he _used to embed the Dark Mark on new Death Eaters. Now he really did feel sympathetic towards the girl, no one deserved that no matter how intolerable.

The attention of the room quickly shifted to him as he marched Griphook to Bellatrix holding his wand to the back of the goblin's head. Bellatrix now turned away from her victim and brought her attention to the goblin. No sooner had his aunt handed Griphook the sword another cracking noise sounded from the dungeon.

"What was that?" Lucius shouted. "Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?" If his father was paranoid before he seemed downright terrified now.

He looked to him, "Draco!" and then he changed his mind and turned to Narcissa instead, "no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!" Draco's mother just stared at Lucius for several seconds, Draco started to think she would refuse to follow Lucius' orders but she seemed to have thought better of it and went on to fetch Pettigrew. Everyone in the drawing room now stood still and silent, trying to locate any extraneous sounds. Narcissa came back quickly with Wormtail at her heel. Narcissa was talking to him and pointing to the cellar door though Draco could only hear bits of the conversation. Pettigrew looked even more like a scared little reptile than he usually did. Potter had better have something planned.

Wormtail went downstairs while everyone in the room waited impatiently, Draco included. He knew they would have to come up somehow because of Granger since there was no idea they would leave her behind. The same goes for Luna too, right? There was no way they were going to leave her behind. Draco only hoped Potter's savior thing applied to everyone.

"What is it, Wormtail?" Lucius called downstairs, tension written across his head.

A faint reply came back in Wormtail's wheezy voice, "Nothing! All fine!" No one but Draco paid very close attention to the voice and he caught the difference in the voice instantly, that definitely wasn't Pettigrew. The rest of the room's occupants, however, did not notice anything strange and Lucius sighed with relief. Bellatrix turned her attention back to the goblin who was examining the sword. Griphook informed her that the sword was indeed a fake causing a rupture of maniacal laughter from his aunt.

"Good," she said while slashing the goblin in his face with her wand. Griphook yelped in pain and backed away, his face started to bleed out. "And now," she said in a thrilled voice, "we call the Dark Lord!" She pushed back her dress sleeve revealing the Dark Mark and pressed her forefinger to it. Draco's mark also started to glow as the marks were all connected. Draco paid close attention not to show weakness. Calling Voldemort here was definitely not good. "And Greyback, you may have the girl since you've been so very patient," she told the werewolf.

"NO!" a shout came from the doorway and Weasley burst into the drawing room. And then all hell broke loose.

Weasley disarmed Bellatrix which might have slightly impressed Draco if he wasn't in the middle of an attack. Potter caught the wand and stunned Draco's father to the ground. Draco searched behind the two Gryffindors but no sign of Luna. Where was she? Had they found a way to apparate her away? Draco was casting spells with his wand but was missing on purpose, he needed them to escape. He might have even _wanted _them to escape, only slightly but the feeling was there.

Draco saw Bellatrix drag Granger up with her silver knife held to Granger's throat. "Drop your weapons or she dies," she shrieked, "I said, drop them!" Both of them dropped their wands on the floor staring at the two women. Draco was fairly certain that Luna and the other prisoners _had _apparated out or else they would have come upstairs to help the Golden Trio or whatever they were called these days.

"Good," Bellatrix leered at the dropped wands, "Draco, pick them up," she commanded. Draco reluctantly did as he was told trotting over to the middle of the drawing room. No sooner had he gathered the wands in his hand had a strange noise sounded from the huge chandelier above. Draco snapped his head up only to see the chain of the chandelier break and it tumbling down at full speed. Bellatrix was directly beneath it and she screamed while trying to get away. Draco jumped away right on time but not before a shard of glass came flying towards his face bruising his cheek. While he clutched his hand he felt someone pry off the wands from his hand, most likely Potter.

His mom dragged him away from harm's way by the corner of the fireplace. It was from there that he saw Dobby the house-elf make his daring rescue. Draco was too out of breath to concentrate on what just happened, he hadn't allowed himself to be relieved yet. He had to go down to the cellar to check for himself.

In the middle of Bellatrix crying in anguish and his mother towering over Lucius' unconscious body, Draco slipped past them to the make shift prison. He took a deep breath before opening the steel doors and nothing. No one was there. He breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe, as safe as they could be now anyway. He sat there in the cellar for a few minutes. It felt good.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm borrowing.**

* * *

The Battle of Hogwarts had started. Draco could feel the shearing pain in his arm as Voldemort called all his followers to fight along his side. All students who were underage or didn't want to be a part of this fight were being sent outside to Hogsmeade or being kept hidden inside the castle somewhere. When Slughorn came running to the Slytherin Common Room and told them all to hurry down and follow him, Draco knew what was happening. And judging by the faces, the other students did as well and many of them were eying him warily. Almost all death eaters being in Slytherin did not by any means mean all Slytherins were death eaters. They were as wary of Draco as any other house, the younger students especially. Draco looked around searching for people he knew as he followed Slughorn and his other house members out the dungeons and into one of the far hallways.

He could hear the distant shouts and screams as people battled to their deaths. He wondered where Luna was and if she came to fight. She most likely had with her stupid hero complex and all. He felt a pang fear for her. He wanted her to survive, to live because then he would at-least have some kind of proof that he had done something right. He also wondered if his mother was out there fighting for the dark side, he doubted so.

He had a talk with her before he left for Hogwarts after Christmas break, he didn't have to tell her anything. She had already figured out why he had helped Potter. Draco told her to leave the Manor, he told her to not worry about him anymore. "Oh, my dear child, worrying about you is my favorite job," she told him. "And right now, staying is safer than leaving." Then she gave him a hug that only mothers can give; the one that made him feel like he was suddenly five years old again and his mother's arms were the safest place in the world. The only reason she would be here today was if she were looking for him and Draco prayed that she wasn't. But he had no doubt his father and aunt were here; he didn't even care anymore.

They weren't even where the real fighting was happening but Draco already saw that Hogwarts was in shambles. It was being completely destroyed, the walls were crumbling, windows were shattering, portraits and statues were demolished. Draco was more attached to this place than his own home and he almost felt guilty knowing that members of his family were a part of this destruction. He wasn't going to fight for Potter's side but he sure as hell wouldn't fight for the death eaters.

Slughorn was taking the kids down to the dungeons again through the back staircase to this secret hideout a few doors down from an old Potions classroom Draco had discovered in second year. Slughorn tapped the wall four times with his wand and a large dome like room appeared in front of him. "Use to come here as a kid," he told everyone, "in you go, now." As Slughorn started ushering everyone in, Draco slipped out of the crowd and sneaked into the Potions room. The familiar sight helped calm his nerves. This was the place he used to come into when he wanted to be alone, or when he wanted to study but couldn't make himself sit in the library. Crabbe and Goyle went down there with him sometimes but would always get bored after a few minutes of watching him study and head out.

Right now his only options were to go up there and fight or stay here and wait it out. There was also the slight complication of him not really knowing what side he belonged to anymore. There weren't any fights happening down where he was though he could hear traces of voices from above him; he could hear the walls coming down. It was as if the building was shaking. He decided to stay and wait it out. He started pacing the room and then afterwards, he started going through the cabinets to see if he could find anything useful to use. Use for what he didn't yet know.

He felt guilty that he was almost at peace here. Almost.

* * *

It wasn't long afterwards that he heard footsteps coming his way. There was a large dusty old cabinet in one corner of the class. Draco hurriedly opened it and dived inside, casting himself with a disillusionment charm while he was at it. When he saw who walked in there, he didn't know whether to be relieved or panicked. Pansy Parkinson walked in the room with Crabbe and Goyle in tow.

After Draco had gotten the Dark Mark, other Slytherin students' parents advocated for their children to take on the mark as well. It was their way of showing their loyalty, which truly disgusted him. Draco knew talking sense into his former sidekicks Crabbe and Goyle was a lost cause, they would do whatever their parents had told them. He did however try to talk to Pansy. Even though they were never serious, and Draco had brushed her aside for most of his school year, she was still a friend of his or at-least a close acquaintance. It didn't matter though; she seemed to be very determined to get the mark and took his words of caution the wrong way, "You cannot take all the glory, Draco." Draco tried telling her that he wasn't worried about her stealing his spotlight, he didn't _have _a spotlight, and that he was worried about _her _but this time she brushed him aside like he always did to her for all these years. That took place before this whole incident with Luna happened and he had almost forgotten about it. Almost. He did see her father once in the manor and casually asked about Pansy to which he replied that Pansy had indeed taken the dark mark and was going to carry on the Parkinson family values. Draco resisted cursing aloud.

"I saw you come in here, Draco," Pansy said breaking the silence. Draco gave one of his mental sighs; what was she doing, stalking him? He slowly came out.

It only took him a few words with those three to realize what they wanted was to hang back and catch Potter in the Room of Hidden Things. It also confirmed Draco's suspicion about Potter searching for a horcrux in Hogwarts. So the horcrux was hidden in there? That room was where Draco spent most of sixth year in, trying to figure out how to work the Vanishing Cabinet.

But they didn't know how to get in there and when he told them to forget about it and stay down here with him, things heated up. "What, you're working for Potter now?" Pansy asked in a shrilled voice like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I don't work _for _anyone," he replied.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say because they started accusing him of being a blood traitor and all three took their wands out. Reflexively, Draco did the same.

"Just tell us how to get inside, Draco, and I'm sure Master will forgive you," she said with a determined voice.

At this moment, Draco stared almost dumbfounded at her. He stared ahead at the three people who he once thought of as allies, friends even. Pansy stood in the middle with Crabbe and Goyle behind her, Draco was taken back to all those years when it was him who always stood in front of those two goons. They all had their wands pointed directly at him; he was outnumbered three to one. Draco was quite gifted when it came to dueling and would have no trouble defeating those three separately but together they were a good match. He was fast but not fast enough. He dodged a spell Crabbe sent him way but Pansy's stunning spell hit him right on the chest and he tumbled down over a table. Pansy told Goyle something and sent a brown light towards him pinning him on the spot; Draco didn't know what spell it was but he couldn't move his back.

"Imperio," Pansy casted the commanding curse, "Tell us how to get in." Draco tried fighting the spell but couldn't conjure enough energy to get rid of it completely; she shouted the curse again and this time he couldn't help but do as he was told. He told her where to find the room and how to get in.

Before he had time to recover, Crabbe hit him with a body binding curse and one of them disarmed his wand, or rather his mother's wand since she let him borrow hers after Potter took his. Goyle went over to the side to pick his wand up and he yelped back in pain as his hands sprouted scorch marks. His mother put an enchantment on her wand so only her or Draco could pick it up.

Draco was done for, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was scared. Dying at the hands of these three morons would be an all time low. Pansy was coming forward with her wand raised aiming at his throat. Draco, paralyzed because of the spell could do nothing but stare back at her, levelly. He thought of Luna when she was in the middle of that den of dark wizards, never flinching as spells after spells hit her. He could do the same. He wouldn't flinch or look away.

As Pansy approached him however, he saw her eyes flicker. She was hesitating. Draco let in an ounce of hope; she wouldn't really kill him, would she? Behind her, the two wizards shuffled their feet waiting to see the outcome. Pansy turned around to face them, "You two go, I'll be right there," she ordered with an air of authority. Draco had never heard her use that kind of tone before, she was never a leader figure. Draco was always the leader when it came to the Slytherins and the only time he had any rivalries was when Blaise Zabini spoke up against him. The other two wizards reluctantly left.

Pansy turned back to him. On top of the body binding curse, she conjured a thick rope and tied him up tightly, so much that he could almost feel his body constrict in spite of the paralysis. "I'm not going to kill you," Pansy told him after she was satisfied with her work, "but you _will_ pay for defying the Dark Lord." If Draco could scoff, he would. She eyed his wand on the floor before leaving as if deciding whether it was worth trying to pick up, she seemed to decide that it wasn't and just walked out leaving him there paralyzed and tied up against a Potions table.

* * *

Draco didn't know how long it would take for the spell to wear off. He tried summoning his mother's wand to him in his head but no such luck even though that worked for him with his own wand. Curse Potter. If he got out of here alive, Potter had better return his wand.

His arm started burning again while the dark mark was all but glowing and this time his head experienced a piercing pain as Voldemort's cold voice started speaking. He commanded his forces to retreat and for Potter to give himself up to him in the Forbidden Forest or else everyone fighting for Potter would die. It was as if Voldemort's voice was a counter curse to the spell because at once the spell was gone and his body gave away. The rope was still around him and once the paralysis wore off, he could feel the pain caused by the rope. He slowly dragged himself to where the wand was lying and managed to cut himself free.

Draco's heart sped up now that he processed what Voldemort said; his forces were being withdrawn which could only mean that there were many casualties. He should go look for her but who's to say the others wouldn't think that he was a death eater. They might kill him before he had a chance to explain. What he wasn't admitting to himself was that he was afraid to officially pick sides because then he could try pleading with whichever side won. Yes, he realized it was selfish of him and very cowardly but he had to give himself a fair chance. But then again, didn't he already pick sides when he chose not to willingly tell Pansy about the Room of Hidden Things?

It was his habit to turn away when these types of decisions surfaced. It was his habit to take the easy way out. This time though, he couldn't convince himself to turn his back. Usually that small voice in his head was of his mother's telling him to do what he thought was right but this time Luna's voice joined in with hers and together they were strong enough to overrule his own. Bloody females.

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**A/N: One more chapter left. Thank you to everyone who continued to read. I love you guys! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just borrowing.**

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In the end, he _did _end up having to fight. And to his surprise, Draco didn't feel the slightest remorse knowing he was betraying his family. And also to his surprise, he wasn't the only one. He ran into Blaise Zabini of all people, another Slytherin, who about popped his eyes out of his socket when he saw Draco dueling with two masked death eaters. Fortunately he had the sense to help Draco with the duel before he started the interrogation; although Draco's mother's wand responded to him well enough, he was unaccustomed to it.

"Has someone put the Imperius curse on you?" Blaise asked awestruck after the death eaters were taken care of.

"Shove it, Zabini," Draco snapped. "What are _you _fighting with the light for anyway?"

"What can I say? I'm scared of the dark." Draco was dubious, noting his look, Zabini continued, "Look, no one in my family is a death eater and the ones who are aren't family. And I for one most certainly do not want to be ruled by these bloody morons. Why have you switched sides, Malfoy? We all thought you were the death eater prodigy."

Draco thought about that long and hard. Why _did _he switch sides exactly? "Maybe I'm scared of the dark too."

* * *

He didn't find her. Not during the battle anyway. He decided to stay away from the fight in the Great Hall. Yes, he switched sides but there was no need to show it off. Especially since the other side didn't know he switched and wouldn't wait around for him to explain himself before attacking him.

He had felt an immense surge of relief when Potter had killed Voldemort. He announcing that Draco was once the master of the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in the world, irritated Draco more than anything. So he could have bested Bellatrix all along? How did he not feel anything? And all it took for the power to transfer was that lousy git prying the wand out of his hand? Bloody tragic was what it was.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco continued his frantic search. He wasn't sure why, maybe he just wanted to make sure she got out alive, that all he did was not done in vain. He wanted to know that she was still living, that even if nothing else in his life worked out again, there was something that once did. He wanted some proof, something to assure himself that he was not like _them_, the death eaters he loathed so much. He wanted to see for himself that he was better, that he was okay. Almost good.

He wasn't in love with her, not really. It was more that she changed something in him, something that he had wanted to change in himself for a long time but could never figure out how. She triggered this, she made him want to stand up for himself and for her and now Draco couldn't go back to what he was before.

Merlin, even his thoughts sounded pathetic now.

* * *

He was picking his way through the rubble. He had to admit he felt bad about this place being destroyed like that. The school held some horrible memories for him but it held some good ones too. He searched around looking for that spray of blond curls with no avail. Most of the people he passed look to him with suspicion and wariness like they wanted to attack him but didn't have the strength left in them. Probably for the best.

When he reached the Great Hall, he suddenly stopped in the middle of the doorway and stared. He thought living in a Death Eaters' den was tragic; the scene in there was downright heartbreaking. There were lines of bodies lying there on the cold floor, many of them Hogwarts students. Surviving family members cluttered around the bodies of the dead, crying and hugging and crying some more. Draco saw the Weasley family on one side, grouped around one of the twins. That was unfortunate; those twins were the only Weasleys Draco could stand to be around especially after the stunt they pulled with Umbridge.

As he made his way around the Great Hall, he sensed her before he saw her. He knew somehow that she would be there in the corner before he turned around. He turned out to be correct; she was right there sitting in one of the far corners with Neville Longbottom of all people. He stopped and stared. She looked completely worn out but her face glowed with a luminous light. She was smiling as she talked to Longbottom, neither one noticed him watching. He wasn't jealous. But Draco wanted himself to be there beside her, listening to her voice. Close enough to touch her if he wanted to. Close enough for her to lean against him. That wasn't jealousy. Was it? Draco hadn't realized he was walking towards the pair when Longbottom nearly shot up of his seat.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" he half-snarled. Draco would've normally laughed at the man for trying to threaten him but after that episode with Nagini, Draco almost started respecting him a little. Almost.

Luna stood up as well. "It's alright, Neville. Draco's a friend," she said looking directly at Draco. She gave him an encouraging smile that instantly warmed his heart. In love or not he definitely cared for her, there was no denying the fact now.

"Luna, have you lost your mind?" Longbottom asked looking at her, "Do you not remember who he is?"

"Oh, I remember quite well actually." She said vaguely but surely.

"I need to talk to you," Draco told her and she nodded.

Longbottom looked between the two of them seemingly speechless. "But Luna…" he started.

"It's alright, Neville. Oh look, it's your grandmother."

True to her word, Draco noted an elderly woman searching around for someone with an umbrella in one hand and large toad in the other.

Neville gave Draco one last suspicious glare muttering something about everyone going mad before leaving them alone.

Draco faced her. And had absolutely no clue on what he was supposed to say. She stood there as if the silence wasn't bothersome at all. After a long pause he uttered a hello.

"Hello, Draco," she replied nonchalantly like they were old friends who happened upon each other one day. "I thought you'd be here."

"You did?"

"Your mum was looking for you, she looked quite worried."

"My mum was here?" Draco was slightly disheartened; she wasn't fighting for their side, was she?

"Yes, I believe she went outside looking for you." Luna noticed Draco's discomfort, "She helped Harry, you know."

He didn't know but he was glad, guess he wasn't the only Malfoy family traitor today. Draco nodded; he'll go find his mother later.

He looked down at Luna, she was about two heads shorter than him and said, "Thank you."

She understood.

"So, would you like to go to dinner sometime?"

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**A/N: Thank you so much for reading this. There _is _a slight chance I will continue the story but for now, this is how my Druna ends. So long and farewell. **


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